


Family Ties

by DrDestiel



Series: Tie Verse [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Claire Ships It, Family, Feels, Fluff, Gen, M/M, POV Claire Novak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 18:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11258430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrDestiel/pseuds/DrDestiel
Summary: “No, Cas.” She gets out considering his eyes. Her father’s eyes, only he never had that expression of absolute frank vulnerability in them. He would. If she asks him too, he would walk away from this. She can’t help the tear that escapes then cause it’s just such a fucking fatherly thing to do.Claire has a moment with Cas before she walks him down the isle.Prequel to Ties that Bind





	Family Ties

**Author's Note:**

> Rating for some language.

 

Claire

Claire really expected to have a harder time with this. She still had moments when she wanted to just blame Castiel for _everything_ that had ever gone wrong in her life. But she also knew he never meant to hurt her or her family.

She knew this because she had been his vessel once too. Even if it was for only moments- she still _knew_ him in that instant. She knew he was a loyal warrior, older than time itself and boundless. She understood that her dad died to save her from him and she wanted to hate them both for it. She wanted to hate Castiel, but somehow he had become _Cas_ to her. She couldn’t hate Cas.

Cas is not Castiel. She understands that much. He had changed so much that she sometimes couldn’t even believe they were the same being. Cas is dorky, awkward and he tries _so_ hard.

It's strange to see him as just a person. A human.  He's aging- she had noticed more lines around his eyes and some gray at his temples. He ate, wore regular clothes and slept now too.

Cas has been trying to be there for her, she suspected he felt guilt over the way her life had turned out. She wasn’t thrilled herself, although ever since he had gotten back in her life, it had been _better._ The three of them had hooked her up with Jody who was _beyond_ cool – even though she’d never tell her that to her face. She liked having Alex around too, someone her age who had a pretty shitty life too. _Misery loves company and all that._

 _Dean was a surprise_. Not that she couldn’t see that they were crazy in love, pretty much way back when she was seven. The surprise was that they _went for it_. After years of pretending to not see what everyone else did- she never expected that to change. She had been slowly adjusting to having this weird pseudo dad in Cas and if that wasn’t bizarre enough. Now she was getting a Step Dad too.

She had teased them over the last few years, starting to call Cas Pop when she was in a light enough mood for such things. He had looked so spooked the first time she let it slip in front of him. She smiles remembering Dean breaking the tension with a lame joke about “dibs on the cool uncle then”.

It had become almost common place for her to refer to him as Pop, she could never call him _Dad_. He wasn’t. He still had a blood connection to her, still looked like her father and is the last tie she has to her parents. It made them family. And Jody and Alex had become family. Now she had Dean and Sam too.

She thought she would have a hard time seeing that vessel being intimate with someone _not_ Mom. Her parents had loved each other. High school sweethearts, they had only ever had eyes for each other. She never thought of Castiel in a _relationship._ So, though she _had_ adjusted to seeing her father’s face doing things like killing demons and generally being a scary mother fucker in a fight. She never prepared herself for seeing him hold someone’s hand or watching as he kissed someone.

It _didn’t_ freak her though. Because he was holding and kissing _Dean_.  And it was _Cas and Dean_. They so obviously _belonged_. She had no doubt that if Castiel had happened to inhabit someone other than Jimmy- that they would still have belonged. It was deeper than flesh. And that made it kinda beautiful.

She had adjusted to the thought of _them_ over the last few months. Easier than she thought possible. Even sending them a gag gift for Valentines- fuzzy handcuff with a card saying it was from Hot Topical. The wedding news threw her. Dean had asked _her_ permission- like she was the parent. It was so old fashioned she groaned remembering the awkward phone call. Surgically teasing the last tangle of _Cas_ and _Jimmy_ apart had settled it. She cared about Cas, could maybe someday feel something like love for him. They were family.

Hearing Cas voice concern for her, minutes after having his dreamboat propose, made her feel all warm inside, and she didn’t know what to _do_ with that feeling.

““Yeah, I am giving you away Pop, so let’s get this show on the road huh? “she easily slips her arm around his shoulder and gently drags him back to the hallway. The look Dean gives them as they leave is so soft it makes her blush.

“Are you certain you are ok with this Claire?” he asks as soon as they stop and she gets the boutonniere out from where they hid it on the shelf behind them.

“I would not think to do this thing if you objected. I am not your father but you are important to me, I do not wish to cause you any more heart ache”

 _God, he sounds so sincere_.

 Like if Claire said, he would walk away from this, the only thing she has ever known him to _want_. She is shaken by this and it takes her a while to think of a reply.

“No, Cas.” She gets out considering his eyes. Her _father’s_ eyes, only _he_ never had that expression of absolute frank vulnerability in them. She _knows_ it then. He _would_. If she asks him too, he _would_ walk away from this. She can’t help the tear that escapes then cause it’s just such a fucking _fatherly_ thing to do.

She wants to break the tension with one of her preprogrammed responses. Maybe tell him to stop being lame, tell him he is being dramatic or just roll her eyes. But she can’t.

“Shit, it’s a little weird ok. I mean Dad was like super straight so that alone was a mind fuck. But you guys, you guys are the real thing. I know. Cause it reminds me of Mom and Dad.” She swallows down the swell of emotion bubbling up and pulls on her dress just to have something to distract her from his eyes.

“I ‘m happy for you. And Dean. You guys have been through a lot of shit and I am glad you get this. Each other.” She finishes as her voice cracks a little and she looks back up at him “You have my blessing or whatever.”

“Thank you Claire. It means everything to hear you say that.” He says and she could swear his voice isn’t holding steady either. “Could I, um, would it be okay if I …if we…hugged?” he stammers out, eyes fliting between hers and the floor.

“Yeah I guess- but don’t tell anyone” she pretends to be ashamed as she flings her arms around him and he wraps her in his. He feels like Dad _and not_ , he doesn’t smell like Dad though.

He smells like _Pop_.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So did you like it?  
> Feedback is really appreciated here cause...  
> Confession time- I am at Season 10 Episode 7 so I haven't actually seen a single episode with older Claire in it...I hope I got her at least in the ball park. Sorry if it's way off.  
> Next up Charlie.


End file.
